Stage 2 of Paris-Nice proved as brutal as the opening stage as the wind played a major role in deciding the stage.

It was a day littered with crashes and saw both Louis Meintjes and Mark Cavendish out of the race.

Bernie Eisel and Scott Davies managed to finish in a group just over a minuted behind the eventual stage winner, Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma), while the likes of Lars Bak, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Julien Vermote all navigated their way safely to the finish on a tough day out.

“It was a really tough day for the team. After the conditions of the opening stage, today we again saw the major role played by the crosswinds in the race outcome.

“First we lost Louis who had a crash on a roundabout at the 73km mark. He managed to get back up and riding but lost too much time and was eventually out of the time limit. He was assessed by our team doctor at the finish and will go to hospital for a further check on Monday evening.

“While Mark Cavendish was also forced to stop on the back of a challenging two days. The race was just his third back, following already tough outings at the Vuelta a San Juan and the UAE Tour; as he continues to work his way back towards full fitness following a long lay-off from racing due to illness last year.”

Quote – Louis Meintjes

“The racing was on and I went through a roundabout and I guess I misjudged it a bit. It’s pretty painful and I lost a bit of skin, it doesn’t feel like anything’s broken but we’ll have to go to the hospital for a check-up.”